Average used van values fell below £8,000 for the first time in almost a year during July, as seasonal pressures and the UK’s prolonged hot weather weighed on the LCV market.
Latest figures from BCA show average monthly used LCV values dropped by £183, or 2.3%, compared with June to £7,934. It is the first time the average has fallen below the £8,000 mark since August 2025.
However, the auction company said there were positive signs beneath the headline decline, with year-on-year values higher and sold volumes increasing by more than 8% month-on-month.
Stock turnover also remained ahead of 2025 levels, continuing a trend seen throughout this year, while the number of unique buyers increased by 4% compared with June.
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Used LCVs sold at BCA also outperformed price guide expectations by 1.5 percentage points during July.
Across the first seven months of 2026, used LCV values have averaged £8,274, equivalent to 103.4% of price guide expectations. Both measures are ahead of the equivalent period last year, with more than 7,200 individual buyers purchasing an LCV through BCA so far this year.
BCA COO UK Stuart Pearson said the market was becoming increasingly divided according to vehicle condition and specification.
“BCA saw a further development of a two-tier LCV market in July as entry volumes remained high, with a lot of similarly specified vehicles on offer influencing pricing and demand,” he said.
“Buyers remain very focused on paying the right price for stock, with anything in average condition or worse coming under real pressure, with the time and cost of refurbishment being closely scrutinised.”
Pearson said relatively subdued retail demand during the summer holiday period meant auction buyers were concentrating on vehicles offering the best prospect of a quick resale.
“As we head towards the end of the holiday season, there have been some pockets of improvement; however, there is plenty of room for the market to lift as we head towards the final quarter, where traditionally activity lifts to support the seasonal countdown,” he added.
BCA said its investment in cosmetic and mechanical preparation was also being used to improve vehicle condition ahead of sale, with the aim of increasing first-time conversion rates and providing retailers with stock requiring less preparation.
